The Bizarre Life (and Death) of "Mr. Organic"

New Republic ^ | August 8, 2014 | Maria McGrath

[Scoutmaster]

J.I. Rodale, the godfather of the locavore trend, was a paranoid anti-vaxxer, too

On June 7, 1971, Jerome Irving Rodale appeared on "The Dick Cavett Show." The elder statesman of a growing organic food trend, he gushed about the health benefits of his diet, boasting that he “never felt better” and that he “decided to live to a hundred.” But after a commercial break, as Cavett interviewed his second guest, what sounded like a loud snore rose from Rodale’s end of the couch. The audience twittered, thinking that he was pulling a prank. But Cavett knew. When he looked over at Rodale’s bloodless pallor and gaping mouth his suspicion was confirmed—America’s most famous natural-health figure was dead of a heart attack at 72.

It was almost as if, having sought fame for decades, finally achieving it was too much for Rodale's heart to bear. [snip]

[ExNewsExSpook]

I can understand why they didn’t air that episode, though one could argue that Cavett “died” many times on that stage.

On a (slightly) related note, there seems to be a certain danger for performers who pretend to be having a heart attack on stage. Dick Shawn (remember him?) occasionally subbed for Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show until one night he faked a heart attack as part of a comedy bit. He turned over the desk as he flailed around, and that was enough for Carson. I don’t think Shawn ever appeared on the show again-—he certainly never hosted again. Years later, Shawn died of a heart attack on stage.

And Redd Foxx, famous for his “this is the big one” line from Sanford and Son, suffered a fatal heart attack while rehearsing for a CBS sitcom in the early 90s. His fellow actors initially paid no attention to Foxx’s actions, believing it was just part of his schtick.

[Calvin Locke]

Your description leads me to posit Truman Capote. I’ve seen clips of NYC local interviews where he was dead drunk.

[Bob]

“Jump to death”???

OK, which is it? Did Fixx die while running or did he jump to his death?

[SamAdams76]

Keith Richards is actually a pretty clean-living person. He might have had a beer or two during the heyday of the Rolling Stones, maybe on a crazy night smoked a little weed, it was the 60s after all, but by and large, he's living right. Runs a few miles in the morning, breakfasts on yogurt and berries and lays off the fast food.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

It is important to remember that off-brand ideas only thrive, much like comedy, when there is a grain of truth behind them.

In this case, America has long had very dubious food processing, counterbalanced by very dubious health food kooks. For example, Europeans were horrified with meat processing in Chicago. It didn’t help that the Chicago “Sausage King” Adolph Luetgert murdered his wife in 1897 and dissolved her in a vat of lye in his meat packing plant.

Americans didn’t worry about the meat they were eating until they read The Jungle, by socialist Upton Sinclair.

There were many other bad food scandals, much like those in China today. Coloring canned peas and pickles with poisonous copper chlorate, to the use of spoiled food and non-nutritious fillers.

[Yaelle]

Keith Richards is actually a pretty clean-living person. He might have had a beer or two during the heyday of the Rolling Stones, maybe on a crazy night smoked a little weed, it was the 60s after all, but by and large, he’s living right. Runs a few miles in the morning, breakfasts on yogurt and berries and lays off the fast food.

---

You are attempting humor? I believe he was addicted to heroin for a decade or two. He used to brag about beating other guys at tennis even if he had to break and go shoot up a couple times.

[jocon307]

I think you are right, that could definitely be right. It was someone super famous, I mean I was a little kid, but I knew who he was at the time. Or could it have been Tennessee Williams? Was he still alive at that time? I think it was a writer, not an actor or politician, only an “Author” would carry on like that I think!

[SamAdams76]

Maybe I have him mixed up with that Aerosmith guy. Anyway, he seems to be living clean now, actually sort of nerdish. Into history books and all that. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

[GreenHornet]

The Cavett epi never ran, although Cavett’s talked about it in interviews. There was an RN in audience.

I saw an interview with Dick Cavett a number of years ago where he talked about this incident. He realized pretty quickly what had happened, and said he almost blurted out the words "is there a doctor in the house?", but caught himself, knowing that the audience would think it was a joke.

[BeadCounter]

Apologies all, (blush), my original post had the wrong link!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Rollino

Joe Rollino, interestingly, since I last went there, they do seem to be questioning his age, perhaps he was only 93 when he died. Wiki has some discussion pages on this.

[Dr. Sivana]

Then there’s Jack Lalanne who lived to be 96.

His less-health conscious brother lived until 97.

[tiki]

I’m horrible, I still smoke and I may die tomorrow for all I know but most of the people I know who have died younger than I never smoked many never drank. You’re gonna go when you go.

Most of the people I know are on medication up the wazoo and I have my cigarettes and occasionally take Tylenol.

I think that people like that worry too much and the stress kills them.

[dfwgator]

I know Mick is pretty clean living.

Keith was big into heroin in the 70s.

[TangoLimaSierra]

Think about it, Keith Richards has outlived them all.

Ha

[Hawthorn]

Dying on-stage isn’t all that rare. See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_entertainers_who_died_during_a_performance

[Scoutmaster]

Thank you for that link.

[W.]

Didn’t he have to have his blood replaced, maybe more than once? Thought that was him, anyways.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Scoutmaster.